Who Are You?
by Tamsin1013
Summary: The Dursley's have made a few changes when Harry returns home from 5th year. Slash, nice Petunia, tolerable Vernon, eventual crossover with CSI.
1. Chapter 1

I own no part of the Harry Potter universe; I'm just playing.

This came from the same idea as my other story 'Harry Potter and the New Life' but went in a different direction. Neither idea would leave me alone, so I'm writing both. Wish me luck.

Takes place immediately following the last line of OotP.

Uncle Vernon seemed to be struggling to keep his temper but realized how imprudent it would be to explode so close to the 'freaks' that had threatened him. Harry couldn't keep the smile off his face as he thought of the Order's show of support and protection. The only thing that could have made it better would be if they had told the Dursley's they were taking him with them and he would never see them again.

"What are you so happy about freak?" Dudley interrupted Harry's musings, "Your freaky school wrote Mum and Dad about your godfather. I guess you weren't that close if you're so happy he's dead. Or maybe you killed him."

Harry sighed, between hexing Malfoy on the train and his friends sticking up for him, he had forgotten about Sirius. His good mood vanished, replaced by a sense of guilt and gloom. He had little time to dwell on the state of things as he heard Aunt Petunia ask Dudley if he had everything. Harry looked up curiously as they stopped, not by Uncle Vernon's car, but next to a large SUV.

"Well, put your things in the back and be quick about it boy" grunted out a purple faced Vernon Dursley. "We haven't all day."

"Yes, Uncle Vernon," Harry muttered sullenly.

"And don't take a tone with me; I won't stand for disrespect from the likes of you."

"Sorry, Uncle Vernon," Harry managed a polite voice without throwing up, barely.

When the SUV was open, Harry was surprised to see Dudley's designer luggage set neatly stacked in the back. He lifted his trunk in and settled Hedwig's cage next to it. Harry barely managed to jump back when Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. The Dursley's plus Harry climbed into the SUV and Harry was pleased to see that he didn't have to share a row with Dudley. 'Finally, a car ride where I won't get smushed,' he thought in relief.

Harry soon realized that they weren't heading back to Surrey at all, but driving through London. He kept his questions to himself until they pulled into the short-term car park at the airport.

"Are we going somewhere?' he asked hesitantly.

"Don't be ridiculous," sniffed Aunt Petunia. "Dudders has been accepted into a very prestigious sports camp in America and will be spending the summer there. You'll have a grand time and become even stronger and better than you are now, won't you Dudlikins." Petunia turned her attention to her beloved son.

"It's a fat camp and I don't want to go," the enormous boy whined. "Why do I have to go away from all my friends? I won't have any fun, you'll see."

"Now, now, Dudley, we've been over this before and the decision is final. I'm paying a great deal of money for you to go here so you will do it and give it your all," Uncle Vernon cut-in, wanting to avoid a public scene.

After Dudley had been successfully deposited on a plane bound for the States, the remaining Dursley's and Harry continued on. Harry kept quiet, not believing his luck at a Dudley free summer, and not wanting to draw attention to himself. The trio pulled up in front of Uncle Vernon's office building and Harry was ordered out of the car. He followed the Dursley's up to Uncle Vernon's office and sat where he was pointed, waiting for some explanation of this strange behavior from his guardians.

Uncle Vernon took a deep breath. "Now, I don't want a peep out of you until I'm finished. Then and only then may you ask question, understood?"

Harry nodded silently, marveling at the unprecedented promise of being able to ask questions without punishment and wondering how many he could get in before Uncle Vernon snapped.

"No doubt you've noticed some changes this summer and there are more to come," Vernon said.

Harry was barely able to avoid snorting with amusement at just how dumb his family thought him.

Uncle Vernon either ignored or didn't notice Harry's reaction and continued,"Dudley will not be here for the summer and neither will I for a good portion of it. The company has decided to reward my years of hard work and dedication by giving me a plum position in the new Canadian branch. I leave this evening. Because these first months will be very busy getting things off the ground, your Aunt and I have decided that she and you will stay behind in England and I will be visiting, likely one weekend a month, but maybe less depending on how things go. The house has been sold and a flat has been rented for the summer here in London. After you and Dudley return to school in the fall, Petunia will be coming to Canada to set up a new house there. We are keeping Dudley in Smeltings, don't want to throw his education off by changing in the middle, now do we? You, of course, will return to _that place, _unfortunately we haven't a say in that. This brings us to matters we do have a say in. When you were left on our doorstep, there was only a letter saying that that VoldyMort person killed your parents and that we were the only ones who could care for you. There was no explanation of what to do if your freakiness caused problems or who to contact if anything went wrong. Your Aunt hadn't spoken to your mother in years. I'm sure you have heard stories about how wonderful your parents were from all those other freaks; well our perspective was a bit different. Your mother was quite a bit younger than your Aunt; she was still at school when we married…"

"Yes, and she brought that dratted Potter boy to our wedding," Aunt Petunia interjected furiously. "Mother and Father spent the entire reception showing off their perfect little Lily and her handsome, rich boyfriend. Father even missed his toast because he was bragging about what a brilliant match Lily had made, never mind that he was a condescending prat. No one saw us off for our honeymoon, they were celebrating Potter's impromptu proposal and planning Lily's wedding. Not that it influenced them at all. None of our family was invited to her wedding. The Potter's wanted a traditional Wizard Ceremony and it 'would have been just to hard to explain to everyone.' She never bothered to explain why she couldn't invite her own parents, it killed Father, he passed away in the night after she told them they couldn't see her get married. And when Mother got ill, she never visited, just wrote that she and James were terribly busy with very important business. The only reason we knew you had been born was because Dumbledore came to tell us about Voldemort and that we might be in danger due to his fixation with you. No offer of protection for my own son, no advice on what to do, just a thought you should know. Lily and James didn't come to Mother's funeral either, didn't even send a note. No, she was to caught up in her pretty new life as Lady of the Manor to pay her family any mind," Petunia had clearly been needing to vent for quite sometime.

Vernon handed Petunia a glass of water he had gotten at some point during Petunia's speech and picked up where he had left off.

"As I was saying, the only document left with you was a vague letter. I don't know if your parents left a will but I doubt it mentioned us, much less named us as your guardians. I have discussed the matter with a lawyer that has a familiarity with your world and have taken actions I should have taken long ago. Dumbledore has made it clear to us that you must reside with your Aunt until your seventeenth birthday and we agreed to that many years ago. However, none of your kind ever filed any paperwork to make the arrangement legal or set out boundaries. That is what I have done. The lawyer has done quite a bit of checking into whether the Potter's had a will and has been unable to locate one. He has explained that in your world's laws you inherited everything the Potter's had as their only heir. Without a legal arrangement declaring me as your guardian he was not able to gain specifics about the estate but had a passing familiarity with it. He confirmed my suspicions that your father was a very wealthy man. I have been told that without a will the majority of the estate is held in a bank trust and you have access to a limited amount of funds until you come of age. I can only assume that these have been used for your expenses the last five years, if it is with your knowledge or if Dumbledore has been providing your school supplies and not telling you the source of the money, I don't know. Regardless, I have no interest in the Potter Estate. Your father was an arrogant prat the only time I met him and I want nothing to do with his money. I have worked hard for what my family has and while we may not be as wealthy as some, I am proud of what I have accomplished. I don't know what work, if any, Potter did before he died, but I suspect most of his money was inherited. I don't want anything handed to me. Now, in the morning your Aunt will take you to the lawyer and he will review the paperwork we have come up with. This summer, you will stay in the flat with your Aunt and help her with chores. I don't know what can be done with the education you're receiving at that school, but if you decide to loaf about, living off your inheritance, it won't be because you can't work in the normal world. We have spoken to a high school in London and explained that you have been attending an alternative school due to your parent's wishes and we haven't been able to come to an agreement with the other parties involved so we're working around them. Next week you will begin attending The St Thomas Aquinas School. You will meet with an advisor and chose a course of study. For the summer, you will attend classes. This school specializes in students who have had the normal course of their education disrupted in some way. They will test you to find out where you should start and the classes are self-paced, meaning that as you complete a level and pass the test, you will be promoted to the next level, without following a set calendar of study. There is a maximum time limit for completing each level, but I have been assured that it is not unreasonable. When you leave for the school year, you will continue your studies by correspondence. I have been told that they will adjust your workload to take into account your other schoolwork. At the winter holidays either Petunia or myself will meet you at the train station and take you to be tested on any subjects you have completed. Next summer, you will be transferred to the Canadian branch of the school and continue there. After your seventeenth birthday, you may quit if you chose. However, if you do quit at that time, you will pay me back the cost of your tuition and books and will move out of my house. If you continue your studies until they are completed, I will allow you to live in my home until you leave for the school year and you may come back during holidays to do your testing."

Uncle Vernon paused and studied his nephew for a long moment and Harry shifted in his seat, not sure if he could speak yet. Just as Harry began to open his mouth, Vernon started again.

"There are other matters to consider as well. The lawyer has drawn up documents stating that we are your legal guardians and as such have the final say until you come of age. He will also work with you separately to get a handle on your financial status so you won't be unprepared for that. Dumbledore will not be able to take you from our home without permission and while we have agreed to keep you in that school, your trust fund will continue to cover those costs, I won't pay for two schools. You will write those people regularly and you may explain what you will of these new arrangements to them. Make sure they are aware that you will not be spending the summer with them and that if they take you anyway, I do have the legal authority to have you brought back and charge them with kidnapping. They are the ones who saw fit to leave you with us rather than take you in then, they can bloody well live with the decision now. Any questions?"

Harry frowned not knowing quite where to start. He suddenly blurted out, "Why are you being nice to me?"

Vernon sighed and said, "I understand that our behavior seems strange to you. I suppose we have had more time to adjust to all this and are accepting it. After you and Dudley were attacked last summer, I thought all my fears from when we took you in were coming true and I was going to lose my family. The rather ominous warnings from Dumbledore have always unsettled me and that brought it to the forefront. Before you went to that school, I'll admit I didn't make the best decisions in how to raise you but I didn't allow myself to see any alternative. I saw how much pain your parents caused your Aunt and lashed out at you because they weren't there. I apologize for that and for allowing those people to provoke my temper."

Petunia stood up and took Vernon's hand," You see Harry, last autumn your Uncle had a minor heart attack."

Harry went pale and gasped. An hour ago had he been asked if he cared about Vernon Dursley, he would have answered a resounding "NO", but now that he was faced with the idea of losing the man, he was terrified. He couldn't lose anyone else.

Petunia hurried to continue," It wasn't horribly serious, just a wake up call. We realized that we have become people we don't particularly like and decided to make some changes. They have been slow in coming, but are for the better."

"Like sending Dudley to fa..I mean sports camp," Harry said.

"Yes, and you can call it what it is," Vernon chuckled. "Dudley is having trouble adjusting, but I don't what him to grow up to be like me."

"I understand and while I admit that this is all a bit much to take in, I think the school arrangement sound good. I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do in life and I don't like the choices I've seen so far. I hadn't thought about a muggle career."

"Well, I'm glad this is working out," Vernon said. "I have some meetings to deal with before my flight, Petunia dear, I'll call first thing in the morning."

"You'll call when the plane lands, no matter the time, or you'll be hearing about it Vernon Dursley," snapped Petunia. "I won't sleep until I know you've arrived safely and you are well aware of it."

"Of course, dear. Now, let's get Harry's things into your car and you two can set off."

After Harry's trunk was secured in the boot of Petunia's car and Hedwig had been sent off to stretch her wings with instructions to find him at the new London flat that night, Harry and Petunia settled in to the front seat and Petunia asked if Harry would like any lunch. They set off for a small pub Petunia often ate at with Vernon and upon arrival asked for a table in the back. After tucking in to their lunch, Petunia finally spoke about the matter that had been weighing on Harry for days.

"A Professor McGonagall sent us a letter about your godfather. I'm sorry, I know he meant a lot to you."

"Thank you. I don't think I'm ready to talk about it. Everyone, all my friends, keep telling me I can't keep things bottled up but I'm just not ready."

"Okay. Why don't you tell me about something else. Your friend, school, anything. Give me a chance to get to know the real Harry."

"No one has ever wanted to know me before. Just the 'Boy-Who-Sodding-Lived'. Even my friends have never bothered to get to know me, they just assume I am who they think I am."

"Well I want to know Harry."

Harry and Petunia spent several hours at the pub finally getting to know each other. Harry refused to speak in depth about the previous ten months at Hogwarts, but shared details of his adventures during his first four years there. Petunia was barley able to restrain her outrage at the life-threatening situations her nephew had been thrust into and wondered to herself exactly what Dumbledore was setting Harry up for in the future. She was pleased that he had some happiness there, when he talked about some of his classes and Quittach. Her mood was darkened again when Harry told her about his friends. She was glad the boy had made friends at Hogwarts, Lord knew Dudley hadn't allowed him any in Surrey, but she just didn't like the sound of them and thought Harry seemed very isolated from the students in other houses and years.

"So there are four houses and seven years in each? Who do you spend time with outside of Ron and Hermione? Do you have study groups or school clubs," she asked.

"I spend time with the Quittach team during practice, but we didn't have a season last year and I couldn't play much this season. I led a sort of study club this year because our teacher was horrible, but I didn't really hang out with the kids in it…" Harry trailed off.

"Why not, it seems like that would be a great opportunity to make more friends?"

"Well, in the club I was kinda the teacher so it would have been harder to get the others to listen if I was joking around with them and a lot of the rest of the school doesn't like me because of the Tri-Wizard thing, some of them think I killed Cedric and the papers keep running articles about how I'm crazy and dangerous."

"Hmm, I'll speak to the lawyer to see what can be done about the papers, you are still a minor and they shouldn't be allowed to print lies about anyone anyway. For now I think we have some errands to run before going home."

The rest of the day was spent in a furry of shopping. By the time they arrived at the flat, Harry had a new wardrobe that fit perfectly, new glasses (he had decided against contacts, finding the idea of sticking his finger in his eyes creepy) and numerous new books in every subject that had caught Harry's fancy.

"After our appointment in the morning we'll go get you a computer, you'll need one for school, and a few other things. The flat is furnished, so we don't need anything there, but let me know what kind of furniture you would like in your room at the new house so I can order it before we get there," Petunia said.

"Th-thank you, Aunt Petunia," Harry stuttered, astounded at the kindness his aunt was showing.

"You're welcome, Harry, but really these are all things we should have done all along," Petunia responded sadly.

That night Harry had trouble getting to sleep, not because of the events at the DOM but because of his family's odd behavior.

"I don't know what to think, Hedwig," he murmured to the owl, "I feel like this is all a dream and I don't want to wake up. I might finally have a real family of my own, who'd have thought I'd find it in the Dursley's. Well, at least for the summer, I can't imagine it lasting when Dudley gets back."

Unbeknownst to Harry, Petunia had paused in the hallway when she heard him speak and remained listening after she realized he was talking to his bird.

"Oh Harry," she whispered," I hope you can come to trust us. Vernon and I have made so many mistakes, most of them affecting you. Please don't let it be too late for us to be a family."


	2. Chapter 2

I own no part of the Harry Potter universe; I'm just playing.

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The next morning came far to early for Harry's liking. He stumbled to the kitchen and nearly fell face down in the plate his aunt set in front of him.

"Your grandmother was never a morning person either," Petunia chuckled, "I've always thought it to be the best part of the day."

"Is there coffee?" Harry mumbled.

"Not for teenagers. Now eat your breakfast and then a good shower should perk you right up."

Petunia proved to be right and she, along with a far more awake Harry, set off for the tube station.

"It really is more hassle than it's worth, keeping a car in the city," she responded when Harry asked why they weren't driving.

A short commute later found the pair in front of an imposing building.

"Come along, we mustn't dawdle, Mr. Dellon is waiting for us," Petunia said, pulling Harry along with her.

The pair was silent as they rode the elevator up, Petunia reviewing the day's agenda in her head and Harry nervously contemplating what might happen next. They soon stepped into a well-appointed waiting room and Petunia walked over to the reception desk, "Petunia Dursley and Harry Potter to see Mr. Dellon, please."

"Good morning Mrs. Dursley, Mr. Potter. Mr. Dellon is just on his way up, let me show you to his office," the receptionist smiled.

Harry sat down in the luxurious leather guest chair and tried not to fidget. Fortunately, Mr. Dellon soon joined the two and set straight to business.

"Mr. Potter, first allow me to offer my condolences on the recent loss of your godfather, I don't know how close you were given circumstances, but I realize this is a difficult time for you. Yes, I know about Mr. Blacks innocence, it was on the front page of the Prophet today," Mr. Dellon said, noticing the look of surprise on Harry's face. "I understand your Uncle has explained what will be happening here today and to let you know, I am a borderline squib. I never had enough magic to attend a school like Hogwarts but I went to one of the smaller London schools and specialize in family law in both the magical and Muggle worlds."

"Yes sir, and all the guardianship things sound good. I do have a few questions about how this will work legally in the Wizarding World, I think if Dumbledore really wants me to be sent somewhere, he'll just do it," answered Harry.

"I've done some checking into just that matter. You see, I can't access your parents' will unless you accompany me to Gringott's –we'll do that later today or at a future appointment- but matters of guardianship are handled by Child Services. It's one of the few departments that cross over between the Muggle and magical governments because of the number of Muggleborn and squib children they deal with. I looked into your records there and no guardian was ever assigned after your parents' death. They had appointed Sirius Black to be your Godfather, but provided no secondary guardian, which I find very odd given their visibility in the war. I don't know how Dumbledore got physical custody of you after the attack but I have my suspicions as to how he avoided your placement in a Wizarding home later."

"I know that Dumbledore had Hagrid, the groundskeeper at Hogwarts, get me from my parents house after the attack, before anyone else got there. Sirius arrived before we left and wanted to take me, but Hagrid told him Dumbledore had made arrangements," Harry informed him.

"I see, well it's a shame Black let you go, but I know most Hogwarts students wouldn't dream of standing up to Dumbledore," Mr. Dellon said. "I suspect that Dumbledore cast a low level avoidance charm on your file, it wouldn't prevent anyone from looking it up with a reason, as I did, but would discourage people from browsing out of curiosity. I believe he hoped that no one would think to check that he didn't have authority to take guardianship of you and that by the time someone did check, he could argue that the Dursley's were your only biological family and could best care for you. The Ministry has a policy of leaving children with family whenever possible and Dumbledore has been rather vocal about the protections that living with your family provides. Now, if Dumbledore tries to counteract the arrangements we make today, he'll be in for a surprise. We aren't contesting your guardianship, simply making it legal and official, so he can't oppose that and defend his decision to leave you there. In fact, he'll be in for a bit of embarrassment should it come out that he just left you on the doorstep. Didn't bother to ring the bell, much less go through proper channels. The things we are setting in place largely concern the Potter Estate and if he wanted any say in that he should have had himself named guardian."

"Well, I'm glad he didn't," said Harry. "He meddles enough without any legal right."

"He certainly does. Some of the documents we will be going over today are various restraining orders. Against Dumbledore, preventing him from overstepping his bounds has your headmaster; against the papers, preventing them from printing anything against you that isn't common provable knowledge-if you are seen in a store they can report that, they can't speculate or approach you and anything they wish to ask must be routed to my office for an official statement, usually 'no comment' unless you want to address something. I am certain Dumbledore is currently diverting your mail, the Ministry will assure that changes and our office has a department to deal with dangerous mail and take appropriate action against those that would harm you. We have dealt with several high profile orphans since the last war and have procedures in place. I have prepared lawsuits against the Daily Prophet, Witch Weekly and the Ministry, but would recommend holding those in reserve in case the restraining orders aren't enough. As for the Ministry, given recent events, the Minister is quite eager to work with you and keep you happy."

"That all sounds good," Harry agreed.

The rest of the morning was spent going over the various papers and orders and signing numerous documents.

"Well Mr. Potter, that was the last paper, I'll file all these with the proper offices and have a set sent out to your residence along with an updated National Health Card and ID papers. You'll need to have a new picture taken for you ID card and Passport; I've put a rush on the Passport given that you will be moving out of the country. Let's just set up an appointment to go to Gringott's and start getting all that in order and we'll be done for the day."

"Um, I start school next week, so we should meet this week if that's okay with you," Harry said uncertainly.

"That would be fine, how's Thursday sound to you?" Mr. Dellon asked.

"I think that would work, is that okay Aunt Petunia?"

"That would be just fine, Harry," answered Petunia.

"Alright, Thursday at 9am, lets met in the Leaky Cauldron so we can get right to it." Mr. Dellon marked the date down on his calendar. "You both have a good afternoon, it's been a pleasure working with you."

"Good day Mr. Dellon," Petunia said.

"Yes, good day and thank you so much," Harry said as they left the office.

"Well, that went very well," said Petunia," now let's get some lunch and then we have a bit more shopping to do."


	3. Chapter 3

First off, my deepest apologies for how long it has taken to update. I fell into a minor depression and pretty much let everything go. I have resumed working full-time in a completely new field and have restarted school this summer, with an actual plan in place. This has done wonders for my psyche, but not left me with a lot of free time. Fortunately, I have a break of a couple weeks between summer and fall sessions coming up, for school at least, and some remaining medical issues are being resolved faster than I thought possible now that I have a competent doctor who believes me and orders tests when I say something's wrong. So glad I finally have health insurance!! So, it will be slow going for maybe a month while I get back into the swing of things, but none of my stories will be abandoned.

Second, in answer to those who have asked when Harry will be meeting up with the CSI gang; it's not going to be until he finishes school. There is going to be a lot of character development, and a fair amount of action coming when he returns to Hogwarts, followed by a lot more character development. My stories, in fanfiction and real-life, tend to be more character driven, but I'm working on the action thing.

Thirdly, the only things related to Harry Potter and CSI that I own are a pile of books and DVDs and a few merchandising tie-ins (my favorite being a magnet of the Slytherin crest that I picked up at Borders yesterday). I have not made and will not make any money off this endeavor and will certainly be giving even more of my own money to the entities that can claim ownership within the week. Please don't sue; I need to be able to afford Book Seven!

In a preemptive response to anyone who may be a dedicated Windows user and hates Apple's with a fiery passion- while I used an Apple at home, I had intended to have Harry get a PC. I had a whole page of notes on possible alternative uses for the various Windows Wizards. Then, when I stopped in my Apple store the other day, one of the Genius Bar techs was wearing a wizard hat. I had to change it.

Finally, on to chapter three!

HPCSIHPCSIHPCSIHPCSIHPCSIHPVSIHPCSIHPCSIHPCSIHPCSIHPCSI

After a quick lunch of fish and chips, Petunia pulled a small pad out of her purse.

"Well, we have a meeting with the admissions office at St. Thomas to get you all squared away, then we need to get you a computer."

Harry just nodded, still a bit overwhelmed by the last day and a half.

The school was located in an office building, not far from Uncle Vernon's old office.

"It would have been convenient to have a meeting yesterday, but I though that might be bit overwhelming."

"Yes, that probably would have been a bit much. Thanks Aunt Petunia."

In what seemed like no time at all, Harry was seated in a small cozy office across from a no-nonsense type woman who reminded him a great deal of Professor McGonagall.

"Good afternoon Harry, I am Mrs. Stromrae and I will be your advisor and primary contact point here at St. Thomas. During each of your classes, your professors will give you contact information but if you have any questions or concerns about your overall education here, or your future, you may come to me."

"Thank you."

"Well, in a few minutes we will go to the testing centre. You will be tested in a few basic areas; math, science, grammar, history; and then we will look at your choices for study paths while your tests are scored. Do you have any preference about your test format?"

"What do you mean," asked Harry.

"Pen and paper or computer based." Mrs. Stromrae clarified.

"Oh, pen and paper," Harry said quickly. "I've never really used a computer, but Aunt Petunia said we are going to get one this afternoon."

"Well, I would advise taking a basic computer course straightaway. We have both Windows and Apple based courses, so you can pick based on the system you end up getting. While you can do your courses by mail, or in person, it is much faster by computer. I must admit, I've never met a boy your age who hadn't used a computer."

"I've spent the last five years at a traditional school my parents picked out before they died. There is no technology there at all. I used a computer a bit before that, but…"

"Of course, it would be difficult with how quickly technology advances when you're so separate from all that for most of the year. You are continuing at your current school as well?"

"Yes, I go back on September 1st, but I will be able to come to London for testing over the holidays, and possibly weekends, if needed."

"That's fine, we have several students in similar situations, it may be best for you to do the computer based courses during the summer to get caught up, if you feel comfortable enough with the computer, of course, and then switch to the correspondence format during the year…Although, let me check something. Your Uncle said you attend Hogwart's Traditional School in Scotland, correct?"

"Yes," answered Harry, stunned that Vernon had willing mentioned Hogwart's to anyone, even if they didn't know what it was.

"Ah, here it is. We have several other students from Hogwart's right now. Colin and Dennis Creevy and Susan Bones. There is a note that they are able to use the computer-based courses during the regular school year and all of them are using Apple based systems. Perhaps there is a network in the area. Are you familiar with those students?

"Yes, the Creevy's are in the same House as I am."

"Lovely, it will be good for you to have a student support system all year. Their contact information is in the current student directory. The next one will be published next month; your enrollment packet includes a form to be included in it. Now, on to the testing center."

The testing took most of the afternoon and Harry was exhausted by the time it was over. He found himself back in Mrs. Stromrae's office where a snack was waiting for him.

"I have the results of the first assessment you took, the one to discover your interests. The rest shouldn't take long to score," said Mrs. Stromrae. "Let's look over your results and see what course of study you would like to follow."

By the time the remaining results were delivered, Harry and his advisor had decided to enroll him in a science track.

"And after you have finished the basic courses, you can chose to focus on chemistry or biology, or merge the two in an interdisciplinary program."

Mrs. Stromrae paused to look over his results. "Hmm, it looks like with the exception of grammar and astronomy, your results show little advancement past a primary school level. This "traditional school" hasn't done you any favors in that regard."

"Well, it is a highly specialized school. I don't think they really except the students to spend much time outside their community after graduation.'

"Yes, I believe that's what the other students from Hogwart's indicated as well. We at St. Thomas' are not here to judge the education our students have received elsewhere, we are here to make sure they also receive an education that is on par with the standards of majority of society. I think that your first round of courses should focus on the basics; it will be rather intense. In fact, you may benefit from taking these first classes in person. They will still be self-paced, but you will have immediate access to a professor."

"That sounds good. How long does the first round usually take?"

"Typically students move through them within four to five weeks. They meet daily from 9am to 4pm with an hour for lunch. As they are self-paced, you can work on the classes in whichever order you like and self-schedule your breaks. Some days you may want math first thing, others history. It's up to you."

When Harry met Petunia in the lobby, he was laden with books, course packets and forms.

"Well, it looks like everything went alright," Aunt Petunia said, eyeing the large stack.

"Yes, I begin basic courses here at the school on Monday, they will take about a month. Then I can take the next set here or over the computer."

"Speaking of computers, did your advisor have any suggestions about what to get?"

"She said a few other Hogwart's students attend here and they all use Apple's."

"On to the Apple store it is. I think we should drop your things off at the flat, first."

Petunia hailed a cab and directed the driver to stop by the flat before continuing to the Apple store.

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As soon as the pair walked into the store, Petunia began browsing a display of notebooks. Harry started to follow her, but paused. He felt a niggling feeling at the back of his head that he associated with magic. A feeling he had experienced whenever he was in Diagon Alley or during the first few days back at Hogwart's. He followed the feeling to the back of the store where he saw an archway leading to a second showroom.

"Harry, where do you think you are going?" Petunia grabbed his arm just before he went in. "That's labeled 'employee's only."

A store employee walked up to them. He was wearing the same uniform as the rest, with the exception of a small pin that looked like two crossed sticks.

"Good evening, madam. My name is Brent, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes," answered Petunia. "We are looking for a computer for my nephew." She nudged Harry who was still staring at the archway.

"I don't think I'd be too far off if I asked if your nephew is looking for a system that can operate under special circumstances. One might even say a computer that runs like magic."

He chuckled at the look Petunia and Harry both gave him.

"Right this way Madam, Mr. Potter."

They followed Brent through the archway Harry had been so drawn to and Petunia gasped when she saw the second showroom.

"What on earth?"

"This is our special line of computers, all designed to run on the standard battery or on magical energy. It is patented technology that works with the magic rather than against it. The American Ministry uses it and recently introduced it in all their magic schools. I don't expect you've seen anything like it here in England. The English Ministry is still quite separatist."

"I thought Muggle technology couldn't work around magic?" asked Harry.

"Strictly speaking, that is true. But this isn't Muggle technology. It may look and run the same, but it was built from the ground up to run in magical environments. When the computer senses that it is in a magic heavy environment, it begins to switch over to a special magi-mode that works seamlessly. You won't even notice a difference. It can also access the Internet from anywhere, using magic as a network. We have the WizBook, WizBook Pro and the iWiz. Are you looking for a portable or desktop system?"

After about an hour of looking at the different computers and reviewing the technical requirements the school had given him, Harry and Petunia left the store with a new WizBook, a printer/scanner, and numerous software titles and an ipod that ran on the same magi-mode as the computer. Harry had also signed up for several training courses over the next few weekends and Petunia had insisted that he get a digital camera. Brent had explained that when used around wizards, they would see a traditional camera and that the software it came with would allow the pictures to move just like the magic developing potion.

As Harry helped Petunia tidy up after dinner, he turned to her and paused, before lunging forward and giving her a quick hug. He whispered, "Thank you, Aunt Petunia," before dashing off to his room.


End file.
